Burner igniton and control system



March 3, 1953 f E. J. DIEHL 2,630,167

BURNER IGNITION AND CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Oct. 27, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR. Edward IDiehL.

BY i Em ATTOR N EY March 3, 1953 J DlEHL 2,630,167

BURNER IGNITION AND CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Oct. 27, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR. Edward I Diehl.

ATTOR N EY I tion chamber.

Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BURNER IGNITION AND CONTROL SYSTEM Edward J. Diehl, Silverton, N. J assignor to Farspan Industries, Inc., Island Heights, N. J., acorporation of New Jersey Application October 27, 1950, Serial No. 192,512

1 Claim. (01. 158 -28) Thi invention relates to electrical systems and is more particularly concerned with an electrical device containing a plurality of switches in combination with and for the automatic operation of a liquid fuel burner. In normal use, said fuel 1 burner requires the operation of a number of units in series through a definite cycle for the purpose of starting it when heat is needed, then maintaining it in operation and stopping its operation when heat is no longer required.

More specifically, the operation of the burner requires the closing of a switch in a circuit containing an electrical heating element (calrod) in contact with the liquid fuel in a gasification chamber to cause gasification of fuel and the energizing of a resistance plug igniter in the combustion chamber which is adjacent the gasifica- When sufficient heat has been applied to cause the generation of .a predetermined amount of gaseous fuel (ordinarily about 1 /2 minutes) another circuit is closed to opena fuel valve, start a fuel pump for the purpose of continuously pumping fresh fuel to the gasiiication chamber and to start a motor. that drives an air blower for supplying combustion air to the combustion chamber. When sufiicientheat and a sufficiently high temperature has been developed in the combustion chamber to causegasification of liquid fuel in the adjacent gasifying chamber without assistance from the electrical heating element, and ignition in the combustion chamber without assistance from theignition plug (usuallyan additional minute) the circuit of the electrical heating element and of the ignition plug are opened whereby the operation of the burner continues automatically from the heat developed in the combustion chamber alone. When heat no longer is required, the opening of a thermostat switch causes the fuel valve to close and the fuel pump and the air blower motorsto stop. This comprises a complete cycle of operation.

Accordingly, the general object of this invention is the provision of an electrical system for automatically controlling the operation of the units aforesaid in accordance with the cycle of operation described.

Another object is to provide an electrical control system comprising a compact and self-contained unit that can be readily connected by system of the type mentioned which canbe ad- .by means of a terminal post 19.

justed to vary the factors of a cycle of operation of the burner elements.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention'will appear more fully from the following description considered together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention. 7

Figure 2 isa front elevational view of the same embodiment.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the embodiment.

Figure 4 is a simplified wiring diagram of the electrical circuit. l

Referring with more particularity to the drawings, in whichli kenumerals designate like parts, the embodiment illustrated comprises a magnetic relay coil ll secured to a bracket E2 on a base block 13. The armature I4 of the relay coil is hinged at l5 to a vertical extension l6 of bracket l2. Adjacent the rearward side ofthe armature an electrical contact point ll is disposed and it is secured to a vertical arm I 8. The bottom of the arm is attached to the base block IS The contact point .I'! normally engages a contact oint 23 secured to the armature I4. Adjacent the forward side of the armature a second contact point 2| is similarly disposed on a vertical arm 22 secured to the base block by a terminal post 23. The contact point 2! is adapted to engage a contactpoint 24 attached to the armature, but these contact points are disengaged in normal resting positionas shown in Figure 3. 'I'he contactpoint 2| projects forwardly through the arm 22 for engaging a third contact point 25. The latter is held on a vertical arm 26 that is attached to the base block by a terminal post 21. The contact point 25 is also disengaged from contact point 2| in normal resting position, i i g To the outer end of the armature an extension 28 is attached which carries an electrically insulate-d knob 29 that normally urges a contact point 30 in engagement with a complementary contact point 3|. These contact pointsare supported by vertical resilient arms 32 and 33, re-

spectively, secured to the base block by ter- .ably engaging a flange 38 of the bracket and a thumb nut 39 on the rod in abutting relation with the said flange. Accordingly, by adjusting by excitation of the relay coil ll acting on its movable core 44 which is secured" to-the armature 14. H I F On a bracket 4|, one end or awarpable b1:

metallic strip 42, or other thermo-movable d'e-=' vice, is attached, such as by the bolt 43. The

other end of the strip 42 is free tomove and carries a contact point 44 which is adapted to contact an adjustable stationary contact point 45 attached to bracket 46.

Parallel to" the strip 42' is a resilient strip 41 of metal, such as brass, or other suitabl'e materi'a'l, having oneend secured to a bracket 48 on the base block adjacent the bracket 41. The other end of the strip 43' carries a contactpcint 49 adapted to engage an adjustable stationary contact point-58' on the side opposite-the bimetallic strip 42 and supported on a-b'racket'BI.

The side of the strip-41 facing the bimetallic strip 42 carries a hollow cup 52 having an insulate'd lining3 in which one end of a coil spring 54 is disposed. The other endof the coil spring projects beyond the member 52 and abuts the side of the bimetallic strip 42. It is prevented from displacement in this position by means of a finger 55 attached to the strip 42 and projecting partway into the coil 54.

The elements described above are electrically connected as follows:

One conductor 56 of the power linecontains the usual thermostatic control switch 57 and is connected to armature [4. The armature is connectedto the fixed end of the "resilient metallic strip 47 by conductor 58. The stationary contact-point is connected to the terminal 23 and t'o-o'neiter'niinal lie-of the'magnetic'fu'el valve 60 by'condiictors t l and tz. It is also'connect'e'd one terminal 63 of the 'fa'n motor 54- by conuucto'r es.

The other conductor 65 of the" power line is connected to one terminal of the magnetic relay coil- H by conductor 67, to the other terminal's' 68'- and-t of the magnetic fuel valve'and theian motor, respectively, by conductor it and to a common terminal ll of the electric heati-ng' element or calrod 7-2 and the resistance plug igniter 13, by conductor The other common terminal '55 of theca'lrod and ignition" resistance is connected to thestationary end of the bimetallic strip 42 by conductor 75 while the movable end of said strip 42 is connected to the terminal is of the contact point ll by conductor ii. The stationary contact point 45 is connec'ted to the terminal 35 of the contact point 3| by conductor 79 while theterininal 34 of the adjacent contact point (it is connected to the other terminalof therelay c'oil and to the'terminal 27 of the contact point 25'by cond-uctor 'lfl,

i In normal resting position the contact points '30 and 3! areior'ced into coritact with each other andithe-coritaJctpoints Fl and 25ers fenced into al l electromagnetic 0011; afi armatu e 'IilOV- and 25 are disengaged from each other. Also, the contact points 49 and 50 are disengaged as well as the contact points 44 and 45.

When the switch of the thermostat 51 is closed, current flows through the conductor 56 to the armature I4, through the contact points H and 29, through conductor Tl, through the bimetallic strip 42', through conductor 16, through the ignition resistance 73 arid calrod 12, conductor i4 and power line conductor 66. This has the effect of simultaneously placing both the calrod and ignition plug in operation. It also causes the bimetallic strip 42 to become heated and begin warping by virtue of the resistance to the current passing through it. As a result of this warping the free end of the strip 42 moves inward and, through the spring connection 54, pushes the adjacent resilient strip 41 with it until the contact point 49 engages the contact point 56, thereby closin the circuit containing the fan motor 64 and the magnetic valve 60 through conductors 58, iii, 82, and 70. At this instant the contact points 44 and 45 are not yet in engagement and the fuel is being g'asifi'ed' by the calrod E2 in the gasifying chainber. Also fuel is being fed through the chamber by the opening of the magnetic fuel valve 69 and air is being delivered to the ignition chamber by operation of the fan motor 64. The mixtur of air and fuel vapor in the ignition chamber is being ignited by the ignition plug 13.

As the bimetallic strip 42 continues to heat'and warp, it"move farther inward until the contact points 44 and 45 engage thereby causing current toflow through themagnetic coil ll of the'relay through the conductors 78' and i9 and the contact points 34 and 3|. As soon as this occurs, the armature I4 is pulled over toward the relay coil causing mutualcontac't of the contact points 24, 21' and 25 and simultaneously causes disengagement of the contact points 39 and ti and of the contact points I? and 2E]. The armature is main tained in this'po'sition by current fiowing'through thecircuit consisting of the coil l I, contact points 25, 2i and 24 andthe armature itself. The-disengagement of the contact points 38 and 3! and contactpo'ints H' and 26 opens the circuit con-- taining' the calrod andthe ignition resistance while at the same time the operation of the fan meter 65 andthe'm'ag'netic fuel valve 68 is continued to be maintained through a substitute circuit throughthe contact point 21 which is connected to the conductor 62. During this period or operation the bimetallic strip cools and returnstc its normal position'of rest thereby'separatingthe contact points 44 and 45 and the contactpoints 49 and 56.

When llhe Switch 0f the thermostat 57 "opens,

current-n0 longer flows to the unit whereby the magnetic coil ii is de-energized and the armatu-re returns to its normal position of rest under the action of the spring 38.

I claim: v In combination with a liq'uid fuel burner having an electrical hc-iati'ngelement for gasifying fuel, electrical ignition means for igniting gasified fuel, an electrical fuel valv'e'an'd an electric motor connected to air blower; a control unit for contr' 'lling the operation of said heatingelei'gn1tion means, valve'and motor, comprisable -i'I-Y res-tense to "eXc'itatibn of said coil 'yield abie means biasing said armatureagainstsuch movement; a'-fii-stnormally closed switchaird a -secofid noriiially closed switch; said switches be- 5 ing both held in their normally closed positions by said armature in its biased position; a pair of normally open switches having operators adapted to be moved to their closed positions by said armature when the armature is moved under the influence of said coil; an electrically heatable bimetallic strip; electrical power line conductors; a first electrical circuit containing the first switch in series with said strip, electrical heating element, and power line conductors, said circuit also containing said ignition means; a third normally open switch; a second circuit in parallel with the first circuit and containing said third normally open switch, fan motor and fuel valve;

said third normally open switch having an operator connected to and being actuatable by, but electrically insulated from, said bimetallic strip; a fourth normally open switch having a pair of contact members, one contact member being movably carried by said bimetallic strip and the other being adjustably fixed relative thereto so as to permit adjusting the time of closing thereof in relation to the closing of said third normally open switch; said fourth normally open switch being electrically connected to said second normally closed switch and said coil; a substitute circuit for said second circuit, said substitute circuit containing one of the switches 01 said pair of normally open switches, said fan motor, and fuel valve, exclusive of said bimetallic strip, heating element and ignition means, and containing also said power line conductors, and a second substitute circuit containing said coil, said pair or normally open switche and said power line conductors.

EDWARD J. DIEHL.

REFERENCES CITED The .following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,816,451 Wallace July 28, 1931 1,952,299 Van Valkenburg Mar. 27, 1934 1,986,553 Brandenburger Jan. 1, 1935 2,070,118 Denison Feb. 9, 1937 2,135,829 McGoldrick Nov. 8, 1938 2,143,076 Koerner Jan. 10, 1939 2,231,212 Miller Feb. 11, 1941 2,463,470 Sherwood Mar. 1, 1949 2,498,127 Kuhn Feb. 21, 1950 

